Q&A with Heather Blake

  

1. Lucy Valentine, Wishcraft, Love Potion...where do you get your inspiration for these wonderfully creative series?

Inspiration comes from everywhere—TV shows, news stories, overheard conversations... When I made the switch to writing books with paranormal elements (psychics, witches), I quickly became hooked on how much freedom it gave me as a writer. Very little is off-limits, and my creativity is allowed to run wild. I love that.

2. Give us a glimpse into a typical day for you.

I’m usually up by 5:45-6 AM, coffee, email, kid stuff till 7:30-8, then writing till noon or so—might be longer if I’m on a roll. Lunch, then concentrated promotion stuff like Facebook, Twitter, etc., and after that I’m usually just a normal wife and mom. Trips to the grocery store, vacuuming, dinner, that kind of thing. That being said, my writer side rarely shuts off. I’m usually thinking about a book, jotting notes, working on plotting. It’s kind of a 24-hour job!

3. Can you see yourself in any of your characters?

There’s a little bit of me in all my characters, whether it’s my love of Dr Pepper, my humor, or my sense of injustice. Not too much, though, because I think that would become intrusive to the reader—not to mention repetitive!

4. Do you have any advice for an aspiring writer?

Dedication and persistence. Keep writing and keep submitting. It seems simple, but those are the keys to getting published.

5. If you could jump into the pages of a book and live in that world, which would it be?

This is going to completely reveal my dorky side, but I’d love to live in a tree house in Winnie the Pooh’s Hundred Acre Wood. Life is simple, filled with love, friends, and nature. Perfect.

6. If you could time travel where would you visit?

Ooh, good question. Let me think... I’d love to see the US in its early days, before settlers. Oftentimes on road trips, as we’re driving along through mountain passes or along the coastline, I try to imagine what it looked like hundreds of years ago. It had to have been amazing—and daunting at the same time.

7. What's your favorite way to spend a rainy day?

Reading, of course! And also watching a marathon of movies with my family. Our last moviethon was Shrek I, II, and III. Fun!

8. Do you have a favorite book that you've written?

At this point I’ve written over 20 novels (17 are –or will be soon—published). I love each for different reasons, though I admit, I do love some more than others. But my lips are sealed—I don’t want to influence anyone. :)

 ********************************************************

Thank you so much for joining me here today, Heather! And don’t forget to pick up your copy of A Witch Before Dying, available online and in stores today!!!